Demonstrating its dedication towards promoting youth talent in the Sultanate, Bank Sohar proudly sponsored Al Shabab FM’s 3-month singing competition called ‘Najm Al Shabab’. The competition invited participants to showcase their voices and based on the votes received, participants were shortlisted. In the finale that took place recently, three out of a total of four participants were announced as the winners; Mr. Ghazi Talib Al Balushi, Ms. Bashier Al Saadia and Ms. Nisma Al Raisi where cash prizes were presented to them by Bank Sohar.
The award ceremony was hosted by Al Shabab FM on April 20 at the Public Authority for Radio and TV in Madinat Al Ilam, Muscat and was presided over by Ms. Mona Mahfoudh Al Mandhari, Oman TV Presenter. Representing Bank Sohar at the event was Mr. Mazin Mahmood Al Raisi, Senior AGM and Head of Marketing and Customer Experience accompanied by the Marketing Department Team.
The ceremony began with a welcome note from the popular Radio presenter; Ms. Huda Al Khanbashi followed by short introductory speech by Mr. Mahmood Obaid Al Hesini, Radio Producer at Shabab FM. The event then took off and showcased the talents of the young Omanis who gave an outstanding performance. Whilst anxiously awaiting the voting results, a special thanks was mentioned to Bank Sohar where a memento was presented to Mr. Mazin Mahmood Al Raisi being sponsors of the event and having supported this initiative. Following the handover, members of the organizing team were then awarded with certificates of appreciation from Public Authority for Radio and TV on their hard work, dedication, and their efforts towards making the program a significant success.
As soon as the votes were in, the names of the winners were revealed by the Judging Panel where Mr. Ghazi Talib Al Balushi, announced as the first place winner of the contest, Ms. Bashier Al Saadia and Ms. Nisma Al Raisi, who came in second and third place respectively. The event concluded with Bank Sohar providing a token of appreciation to Ms. Mona Mahfoudh Al Mandhari as well as the Judging Panel.
Commenting on sponsoring the competition, Ms. Munira Abdulnabi Macki, GM of HR and Corporate Support at Bank Sohar mentioned, “As an integral part of the community for the past nine years, we believe that the youth deserve the best possible opportunities to showcase their talents and skill. Events such as the ‘Najm Al Shabab’ competition provide an opportune platform for the youth to do exactly that and was a competition we were glad to be a part of.”
Bank Sohar has always been dedicated towards the upbringing of the youth and local Omani talent; regularly extending its support to various groups and organisations in their various sports and cultural initiatives and competitions. The Bank has also, over the years, directly sponsored several talented young Omani individuals and teams ranging from Go Karting, Golf, Football, Traditional Shooting Contests, Cricket and more.
Congratulating the winners, Mr. Mazin Mahmood Al Raisi added, “On behalf of the Bank I would like to congratulate the winners on their achievements and dedication and wish them all the success in the future. I hope their success serves as an inspiration for more local youth to come forward and take opportunities such as these to showcase their talents.”
The ‘Najm Al Shabab’ programme kicked off in January and was broadcast live every Wednesday at 8 pm on Al Shabab FM. The vocals competition introduced talented new singers to audiences each week, and listeners were then encouraged to vote by SMS for the contestants they believed to have put up the best performance. The winners from each round progressed forward. Having initiated a program such as this, Al Shabab FM seeks to address the largest segment of citizens which is the youth. By interacting with young minds, the channel gets a better perspective of their thinking, aspirations, understands their ability to communicate through various modern communication channels, and attracts them to contribute to the national development efforts.